Abstract
IN view of recent excavation upon sites in Syria, and of the increased interest the ancient cults of that region have for the archæologist, it was well worth while to produce an annotated edition of the well-known treatise “De dea Syria.” The editors accept the traditional ascription of the work to Lucian, and there is much to be said for this view; for, although the rest of Lucian's works are written in pure Attic Greek, he may well in his early youth have adopted the Ionic dialect for this treatise in imitation of Herodotus. We should then assign its composition to the middle of the second century B.C. In any case, the record is that of an intelligent traveller who is anxious to make known the facts he has been able to ascertain as to the strange Oriental rites of Syria, and as such it has the very greatest value for the archæologist. Its author describes the cult and temple of the goddess of North Syria, Atargatis, and that of her male consort, at Hierapolis, near Mumbij, on the Euphrates. It has long been recognised that Atargatis was a combination of the Cilician goddess Atheh with Athar, the Aramaic form of the goddess Astarte or Ishtar.
The Syrian Goddess; Being a translation of Lucian's “De Dea Syria” with a Life of Lucian.
By Prof. H. A. Strong. Edited with notes and an introduction by Dr. J. Garstang. Pp. xiii + 111. (London: Constable and Co., 1913.) Price 4s. net.
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K., L. The Syrian Goddess; Being a translation of Lucian's “De Dea Syria” with a Life of Lucian . Nature 93, 105 (1914). https://doi.org/10.1038/093105a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/093105a0
